Systems and methods for improved audio-video conferences

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for efficient management of an audio/video conferences is disclosed. The method includes receiving an audio question from a first user of a plurality of users connected to a conference, recording the audio question and preventing an immediate transmission of the audio question to the plurality of users connected to the conference, analyzing an audio portion of the conference to identify a time for transmitting the audio question to the plurality of users connected to the conference, and transmitting the audio question to the plurality of users at the identified time.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to audio/video conferencing systems andmethods, and more particularly, to systems and methods related tomanaging multiple participants connected to an audio/video conference.

SUMMARY

Recently the use of audio/video conferencing systems has becomeincreasingly popular. These audio/video-conferencing systems are adaptedto provide multi-party audio/video conferences where many participantsparticipate in an audio/video conference through interaction with anaudio/video-conferencing server.

Conventional audio-conferencing systems have a series of listeners orparticipants at geographically dispersed locations with each listenerparticipant having audio input equipment such as microphones or the likein addition to audio output equipment such as speakers, headphones, orthe like for listening to other participants. The audio input and outputdevices are normally interconnected by means of an electronic audiosignaling path, and often, though not restricted to, a central server.The central server is responsible for managing the incoming audio fromeach of the participants. In some embodiments, the central servercollects audio from all participants, and transmits the combined signalto be played to each participant in real time. In some embodiments, theconferencing system may be a peer-to-peer conference, where each deviceof each participant transmits its voice data to each other device andplays back all received audio signals in real time.

However, such a system may be particularly inefficient when a singlepresenter is giving a presentation to a number of participants connectedto a conference. For example, the presenter being interrupted byquestions from the participants may be inefficient (for example becauseother participants may miss important information when the voice of thepresenter is obscured with other audio signals). In one approach, apresenter may have allotted time for questions, but the participantsmight not be aware of when that might be.

In one approach, available audio-conferencing systems, provide a “MuteAll” option to the presenter. The presenter is therefore able to muteall participants while giving their presentation and can unmute everyonewhen they are ready to take questions. Unfortunately, such systems havea number of drawbacks. In this approach, important questions or commentsfrom other participants may be lost (e.g., if the user forgets to repeattheir question or comment later).

Participants, for example, may have important input to provide duringspecific portions of the presentation which may get ignored by thepresenter when the “Mute All” option is engaged. Moreover, participantsmay lose interest or forget their questions about an earlier portion ofthe presentation if they are unable to interact with the presenter inreal time. Therefore, participants can often miss out on valuableinsight from other participants connected to the conference.

Lack of management of audio input from participants can furthercontribute to adverse user experience when participants ask questionsthat may not be relevant to other participants connected to theconference. For example, on a company-wide conference, a question askedabout finance regulations may not be relevant to the engineers on theteam. Addressing such a question may interrupt the engagement of theother participants connected to the conference. In some cases, aparticipant may ask a question that has already been answered during thepresentation. The presenter is therefore forced to repeat the answer foreveryone thereby potentially losing engagement from the otherparticipants and disturbing the flow of the presentation.

Audio-conferencing mechanisms, techniques, and systems described hereinare introduced to facilitate convenient and efficient discussion among aplurality of participants connected to an audio/video conference.

In some embodiments, when a “Smart Presentation” mode is engaged,questions asked by participants during a presentation are prevented frombeing immediately (e.g., in real time) transmitted to all otherparticipants connected to the audio/video conference. Instead, thesystem records the question and identifies a time during the audio/videoconference when it would be appropriate to present the question to theother participants. For example, the system may identify the time fortransmitting the audio question based on an expiration time for the“Smart Presentation” mode. In some embodiments, the system may analyzethe audio portion of the conference looking for keywords to identify atime for transmitting the audio question to the participants (e.g., whenthe presenter says “Any Questions?”). In some embodiments, the systemmay look for a sufficiently long pause in the presentation. In furtherembodiments, the system may prompt the presenter to go to a question(e.g., by presenting the message “Three questions were recorded: wouldyou like to play them back?”)

In some embodiments, the system determines whether an asked question isrelevant to the respective participants before transmitting thequestion. For example, a question asked about financial accountingpolicy during a company-wide meeting would not be relevant to people inthe Human Resources department. Accordingly, the system preventstransmission of the question to people in the Human Resources departmentwhile transmitting the question to people in the Finance department. Inthis way, the system ensures that the participants connected to theaudio/video conference aren't inundated with questions lacking anyrelevance to them. For example, the system may record the questioninstead of transmitting it in real time. The recorded message isanalyzed and sent only to relevant recipients for playback.

The relevance of the question may be determined based on analyzing therecorded audio question in accordance with some embodiments disclosedherein. For example, the system may identify a name of a specificparticipant (or a title of a specific group participants, e.g., “financeteam”) mentioned in the audio question and only transmit the question tothe named participant or the named group of participants. In oneexample, the system identifies one or more keywords indicative of atopic associated with the question and cross-references the topic withbackground information associated with each of the participantsconnected to the audio/video conference.

In some embodiments, the system records the question but prevents theimmediate transmission of an audio question asked by a participantconnected to the conference in order to determine whether the audioquestion has been answered during a prior portion of the conference. Forinstance, participants who joined late to a conference in progress orwho may have missed a relevant portion often ask questions that havealready been answered. This results in frustration for otherparticipants connected to the audio/video conference and reducesefficiency for all parties. Systems in accordance with disclosedembodiments analyze the asked question and first determine whether thequestion was previously answered. If it was, the audio question is nottransmitted to any of the other participants. Instead, the system maysend a recording of the answer (e.g., a portion of a conference that wasrecorded earlier) to the participant asking the question. In someembodiments, the participant asking the audio question may receive alink directing the participant to a recording of the answer. In anotherembodiment, the participant may receive a transcript of the recordedanswer to their question. In this way, the flow of the conference is notinterrupted with questions that have already been answered during theconference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects and advantages of the disclosure will beapparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example audio/video-conferencing system, inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example audio/video-conferencing system, inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example audio/video-conferencing system, inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of illustrative steps involved in delayingtransmission of an asked question to all participants connected to anaudio/video conference until an appropriate time, in accordance withsome embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of illustrative steps involved in limitingtransmission of an asked question to only the participants having arelevant background, in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of illustrative steps involved in preventingtransmission of an asked question to all participants when the questionhas been previously answered, in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of illustrative steps involved in determiningwhether to transmit a question asked by a first user, in accordance withsome embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of illustrative steps involved in determiningwhether an asked question is relevant to a user, in accordance withdisclosed methods and embodiments;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of illustrative steps involved in determiningwhether an asked question is relevant to a user, in accordance withdisclosed methods and embodiments;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of illustrative steps involved in determiningwhether an asked question was previously answered during a prior portionof the conference, in accordance with disclosed methods and embodiments;and

FIG. 11 is a block diagram representing devices, components of eachdevice, and data flow therebetween for an audio/video conferencingsystem incorporating question management features, in accordance withsome embodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Methods and systems are provided herein for preventing an immediatetransmission of a question asked during an audio/video conference andinstead recording the question for a delayed presentation toparticipants having a relevant background.

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary audio/video-conference setup 100 withparticipants 1-3 being connected with a presenter via a conferencesession 112. An example display screen 102-1 of the presenter that isprovided on a display of a user device in communication with a serverdisplays a number of selectable menu options for management of theaudio/video conference. For example, selectable menu option 106indicates to the other participants (e.g., Participants 1-3) that thepresenter is ready to take questions. Selectable menu option 108 may bea “Mute All” mode in which all participants connected to the audio/videoconference are muted. Selectable menu option 110 is a “SmartPresentation” mode which allows the presenter to more efficiently managethe audio/video conference. In an embodiment, user equipment 102-2displays a button 114 indicating that the presenter has engaged the“Smart Presentation” mode. In an embodiment, a first user (e.g.,Participant 1) may ask a question using their audio input equipment(e.g., headset 116).

Specifically, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure, whenthe presenter selects “Smart Presentation” mode 110, questions asked bya first user connected to the conference (e.g., Participant 1) areprevented from being immediately transmitted to all of the participantsconnected to the audio/video-conference. Instead the questions arerecorded for a delayed transmission. In an embodiment, the question maybe recorded and stored on the user equipment 102-2 associated with theparticipant asking the question (e.g., Participant 1). In anotherembodiment, the question may be recorded and stored on a cloud server112.

The conferencing system then identifies a correct time to present therecorded question to the participants connected to the conference. Forexample, in one embodiment, the question is transmitted when thepresenter selects “Question” mode 106 or when the presenter ends the“Smart Presentation” mode 110. In another embodiment, the systemanalyses the voice output from the Presenter to identify a time when thepresenter indicates their willingness to take questions. For example,the system may look for key phrases such as “Let's pause for anyquestions!” uttered by the presenter. In still another embodiment, thesystem transmits the recorded question when a predetermined thresholdnumber of questions have been asked by the participants without aresponse from the presenter (e.g., when three or more questions arequeued up for the presenter to answer).

Once one of the above conditions is met, the system transmits therecorded question to the participants connected to the conference. Forexample, the system may transmit the audio recording of the question toall participants connected to the conference in accordance with oneembodiment of the disclosure. In another embodiment, the audio questionmay be transmitted only to the presenter. In still another embodiment, atranscript of the audio question may be transmitted to all theparticipants connected to the conference. In one embodiment, the systemprovides the first user an option to rephrase the recorded question.This allows for the first user to revisit the question to check for itsrelevance if, for instance, the question has since been answered by thepresenter. The resulting discussion is therefore more productive for allparticipants of the conference, thereby increasing efficiency.

FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary audio/video-conference setup 200 withparticipants 1-3 being connected with a presenter via a conferencesession 212. An example display screen 202-1 of the presenter that isprovided on a display of a user device in communication with a serverdisplays a number of selectable menu options for management of theaudio/video conference. For example, selectable menu option 206indicates to the other participants (e.g., Participants 1-3) that thepresenter is ready to take questions. Selectable menu option 208 may bea “Mute All” mode in which all participants connected to the audio/videoconference are muted. Selectable menu option 210 is a “SmartPresentation” mode which allows the presenter to more efficiently managethe audio/video conference. In an embodiment, user equipment 202-2displays a button 214 indicating that the Presenter has engaged the“Smart Presentation” mode. In an embodiment, a first user (e.g.,Participant 1) may ask a question using their audio input equipment(e.g., headset 216).

Specifically, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure, whenthe presenter selects “Smart Presentation” mode 210, questions asked bya first user connected to the conference (e.g., Participant 1) areprevented from being immediately transmitted to all of the participantsconnected to the audio/video-conference. Instead, the questions arerecorded for a delayed transmission. In an embodiment, the question maybe recorded and stored on the user equipment 202-2 associated with theparticipant asking the question (e.g., Participant 1). In anotherembodiment, the question may be recorded and stored on a cloud server212.

As discussed above, in conventional audio/video conference systems,questions asked by participants connected to the conference aretransmitted immediately to all other participants, which ofteninterrupts the flow of the presentation. Moreover, the asked questionmay not be relevant to all connected participants. Accordingly, theconferencing system, in accordance with embodiments disclosed here,identifies participants for whom the asked question is relevant.

In an embodiment, the system determines that the asked question isrelevant to a second user based on analyzing the recorded audio questionto determine that a name of the second user was referenced. For example,if Participant 1, when asking a question, references Participant 2 byname, the system transmits the asked question to only Participant 2while preventing transmission of the question to Participant 3.

In another embodiment, the system determines that the asked question isrelevant to a second user based on analyzing the recorded audio questionto identify a keyword referenced in the question and cross-referencingthe identified keyword with a plurality of keywords associated with arespective background of each of the plurality of users to find a match.For example, when Participant 1 asks a question about the number ofwidgets available for sale, the system identifies participants who havea relevant background related to sale of widgets (e.g., employees on thesales team) as well as participants who do not have relevant backgroundrelated to sale of widgets (e.g., employees in Human Resources). In oneembodiment, the system may review the job titles of each of theparticipants connected to the conference to determine whether they havea relevant background for the asked question.

Once the system has identified participants for whom the asked questionis relevant, the asked audio question is transmitted to the identifiedparticipants. In one embodiment, a selectable icon notifying the seconduser of the audio question by the first user is transmitted to thesecond user. In response to detecting a selection of the selectable iconby the second user, the recorded audio question is transmitted to anelectronic device of the second user. In an embodiment, a transcript ofthe asked question is transmitted to the second user using a “chat”function. Accordingly, the second user is able to provide an answer tothe asked question without interrupting the presentation or disengagingother users connected to the conference who do not have a relevantbackground.

FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary audio/video-conference setup 300 withparticipants 1-3 being connected with a presenter via a conferencesession server 312. An example display screen 302-1 of the presenterthat is provided on a display of a user device in communication with aserver displays a number of selectable menu options for management ofthe audio/video conference. For example, selectable menu option 306indicates to the other participants (e.g., Participants 1-3) that thepresenter is ready to take questions. Selectable menu option 308 may bea “Mute All” mode in which all participants connected to the audio/videoconference are muted. Selectable menu option 310 is a “SmartPresentation” mode which allows the presenter to more efficiently managethe audio/video conference. In an embodiment, user equipment 302-2displays a button 314 indicating that the presenter has engaged the“Smart Presentation” mode. In an embodiment, a first user (e.g.,Participant 1) may ask a question using their audio input equipment(e.g., headset 316).

Specifically, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure, whenthe presenter selects “Smart Presentation” mode 310, questions asked bya first user connected to the conference (e.g., Participant 1) areprevented from being immediately transmitted to all of the participantsconnected to the audio/video-conference. Instead, the questions arerecorded for a delayed transmission. In an embodiment, the question maybe recorded and stored on the user equipment 302-2 associated with theparticipant asking the question (e.g., Participant 1). In anotherembodiment, the question may be recorded and stored on a conferencesession server 312.

Next, the system analyzes the recorded question and a recorded portionof the conference to determine that the question has been answeredduring the recorded portion of the conference. For example, inaccordance with an embodiment, the system determines that the questionhas been answered during the recorded portion of the conference byidentifying one or more keywords spoken in the recorded audio questionand parsing the recorded portion of the conference to identify therelevant section where the identified one or more keywords were uttered.For example, when the question asked by Participant 1 references sale ofwidgets, the system may determine that the sales numbers were discussedduring the first ten minutes of the presentation.

In another embodiment, the system determines that the question has beenanswered during the recorded portion of the conference by transmitting anotification to a presenter of the conference with the recorded audioquestion and receiving, from the presenter, an indication of therelevant portion of the recorded portion of the conference consisting ofthe answer to the audio question.

Once the relevant portion is identified, the system transmits therelevant section of the recorded portion of the conference consisting ofthe answer to the audio question to the first user by transmitting therelevant section of the recorded portion of the conference in a newwindow on an electronic device of the first user. In still anotherembodiment, the system transmits the relevant section of the recordedportion of the conference consisting of the answer to the audio questionto the first user by transmitting a transcript of the relevant section.

In one embodiment, the system transmits the relevant section of therecorded portion of the conference consisting of the answer to the audioquestion to the first user by transmitting a selectable icon 318notifying the first user of the relevant section of the recorded portionof the conference consisting of the answer to the audio question. Inresponse to detecting a selection of the selectable icon 318, therelevant section is transmitted to an electronic device of the firstuser. Accordingly, in accordance with embodiments discussed here, theother participants connected to the conference aren't interrupted byrepetition of material covered earlier during the conference, therebymaking the conference more productive for all connected participants.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a process 400 of illustrative steps involved indelaying transmission of an asked question to all participants connectedto an audio/video conference until an appropriate time, in accordancewith some embodiments of the disclosure. It should be noted that process400 or any step thereof could be performed on, or provided by, any ofthe devices shown in FIG. 11 and can incorporate various user interfaces(e.g., display screens of FIGS. 1-3). For example, process 400 may beexecuted by control circuitry 1128 (FIG. 11) of the user equipment 1118.In addition, one or more steps of process 400 may be incorporated intoor combined with one or more steps of any other process or embodiment(e.g., process 500 of FIG. 5, process 600 of FIG. 6, process 700 of FIG.7, process 800 of FIG. 8, process 900 of FIG. 9, process 1000 of FIG.10).

At 402, an audio question is received from a first user of a pluralityof users connected to a conference. For example, as shown in FIG. 1,Participant 1 asks a question during a presentation via headset 116. At404, the system determines whether the “Smart Presentation” mode is on.For example, the system determines whether the presenter has selectedthe “Smart Presentation” mode button 110 on user equipment 102-1. If itis determined that the “Smart Presentation” mode is not on (NO at 404),the process proceeds to 406 and the audio question is transmitted to theplurality of users connected to the conference. If, on the other hand,it determined that the “Smart Presentation” mode is on (YES at 404), theprocess proceeds to 408. At 408, the audio question is recorded and animmediate transmission of the audio question to the plurality of usersconnected to the conference is prevented.

Next, the system determines when to transmit the recorded audio questionto the plurality of users. Specifically, at 410, the system determineswhether there is a pause in the presentation. For instance, the systemanalyzes the keywords spoken by the presenter to identify a pause in thepresentation (e.g., the presenter says “Let's take a break forquestions”). At 412, the system determines whether the “SmartPresentation” mode is paused. For example, the system determines whetherthe presenter has unselected the “Smart Presentation” mode button 110 onuser equipment 102-1. At 414, the system determines whether the“Question” mode is on. For example, the system determines whetherPresenter has selected the “Question” mode button 106 on user equipment102-1.

If the system determines that any of the above conditions were met (YESat 410/412/414), the process proceeds to 416 and the audio question istransmitted to the plurality of users connected to the conference. If,on the other hand, the system determines that any of the aboveconditions were not met (NO at 410/412/414), the process proceeds to418, and transmission of the audio question to the plurality of usersconnected to the conference is prevented until one of these conditionsis met. In this way, the system ensures that the participants connectedto the conference aren't constantly interrupted by questions.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a process 500 of illustrative steps involved inlimiting transmission of an asked question to only the participantshaving a relevant background, in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure. It should be noted that process 500 or any step thereofcould be performed on, or provided by, any of the devices shown in FIG.11 and can incorporate various user interfaces (e.g., display screens ofFIGS. 1-3). For example, process 500 may be executed by controlcircuitry 1128 (FIG. 11) of the user equipment 1118. In addition, one ormore steps of process 500 may be incorporated into or combined with oneor more steps of any other process or embodiment (e.g., process 400 ofFIG. 4, process 600 of FIG. 6, process 700 of FIG. 7, process 800 ofFIG. 8, process 900 of FIG. 9, process 1000 of FIG. 10).

At 502, an audio question is received from a first user of a pluralityof users connected to a conference. For example, as shown in FIG. 2,Participant 1 asks a question during a presentation via headset 216. At504, the system determines whether the “Smart Presentation” mode is on.For example, the system determines whether the presenter has selectedthe “Smart Presentation” mode button 210 on user equipment 202-1. If itis determined that the “Smart Presentation” mode is not on (NO at 504),the process proceeds to 506 and the audio question is transmitted to theplurality of users connected to the conference. If, on the other hand,it determined that the “Smart Presentation” mode is on (YES at 504), theprocess proceeds to 508. At 508, the audio question is recorded and animmediate transmission of the audio question to the plurality of usersconnected to the conference is prevented.

Next, at 510, the system determines whether the audio question isrelevant to a second user connected to the conference. If the systemdetermines that the audio question is not relevant to the second userconnected to the conference (NO at 510), the process proceeds to 512,and transmission of the question to the second user is prevented. If, onthe other hand, the system determines that the audio question isrelevant to the second user connected to the conference (YES at 510),the process proceeds to 514. At 514, the audio question is transmittedto the second user. For example, when Participant 1 asks a questionabout the number of widgets available for sale, the system determineswhether the participants have a relevant background related to sale ofwidgets (e.g., employees on the sales team) or do not have relevantbackground related to sale of widgets (e.g., employees in HumanResources). Accordingly, the system ensures that any audio questionsasked during the conference are transmitted only to participants forwhom the question is relevant, while avoiding unnecessary interruptionsfor other participants.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a process 600 of illustrative steps involved inpreventing transmission of an asked question to all participants whenthe question has been previously answered, in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure. It should be noted that process 600 orany step thereof could be performed on, or provided by, any of thedevices shown in FIG. 11 and can incorporate various user interfaces(e.g., displays screens of FIGS. 1-3). For example, process 600 may beexecuted by control circuitry 1128 (FIG. 11) of the user equipment 1118.In addition, one or more steps of process 600 may be incorporated intoor combined with one or more steps of any other process or embodiment(e.g., process 400 of FIG. 4, process 500 of FIG. 5, process 700 of FIG.7, process 800 of FIG. 8, process 900 of FIG. 9, process 1000 of FIG.10).

At 602, an audio question is received from a first user of a pluralityof users connected to a conference. For example, as shown in FIG. 3,Participant 1 asks a question during a presentation via headset 316. At604, the system determines whether the “Smart Presentation” mode is on.For example, the system determines whether the presenter has selectedthe “Smart Presentation” mode button 310 on user equipment 302-1. If itis determined that the “Smart Presentation” mode is not on (NO at 604),the process proceeds to 606 and the audio question is transmitted to theplurality of users connected to the conference. If, on the other hand,it determined that the “Smart Presentation” mode is on (YES at 604), theprocess proceeds to 608.

At 608, the audio question is recorded and an immediate transmission ofthe audio question to the plurality of users connected to the conferenceis prevented.

Next, at 610, the system determines whether the audio question haspreviously been answered during a prior portion of the conference. Ifthe system determines that the audio question has not previously beenanswered during a prior portion of the conference (NO at 610), theprocess proceeds 612 and the audio question is transmitted to theplurality of users connected to the conference. If, on the other hand,the system determines that the audio question has previously beenanswered during a prior portion of the conference (YES at 610), theprocess proceeds to 614, and transmission of the audio question to theplurality of users connected to the conference is prevented. At 616, thesystem retrieves and transmits a recorded copy of the answer to theaudio question to the first user asking the question. Accordingly, thesystem ensures that any audio questions asked during the conferencehaven't previously been answered thereby avoiding unnecessaryinterruptions for other participants.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a process 700 of illustrative steps involved indetermining whether to transmit a question asked by a first user, inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. It should be notedthat process 700 or any step thereof could be performed on, or providedby, any of the devices shown in FIG. 11 and can incorporate various userinterfaces (e.g., displays screens of FIGS. 1-3). For example, process700 may be executed by control circuitry 1128 (FIG. 11) of the userequipment 1118. In addition, one or more steps of process 700 may beincorporated into or combined with one or more steps of any otherprocess or embodiment (e.g., process 400 of FIG. 4, process 500 of FIG.5, process 600 of FIG. 6, process 800 of FIG. 8, process 900 of FIG. 9,process 1000 of FIG. 10).

At 702, an audio question is received from a first user of a pluralityof users connected to a conference. At 704, the system determineswhether the number of questions already asked by the plurality of usersexceeds a predetermined threshold. For instance, the system determineswhether there have already been more than three questions that have beenasked by the plurality of users connected to the conference. If it isdetermined that the number of questions asked does exceed thepredetermined threshold (YES at 704), the process proceeds to 706 andthe audio question is recorded and an immediate transmission of theaudio question to the plurality of users connected to the conference isprevented. If, on the other hand, it determined that the number ofquestions asked does not exceed the predetermined threshold (NO at 704),the process proceeds to 708 and the presenter is notified on the queueof questions. In this manner, the system ensures that the presentertimely answers the questions of the participants connected to theconference while preventing unnecessary frequent interruptions to theconference.

FIG. 8 depicts a flowchart of a process 800 of illustrative stepsinvolved in determining whether an asked question is relevant to a user,in accordance with some embodiments disclosed herein. It should be notedthat process 800 or any step thereof could be performed on, or providedby, any of the devices shown in FIG. 11 and can incorporate various userinterfaces (e.g., display screens of FIGS. 1-3). For example, process800 may be executed by control circuitry 1128 (FIG. 11) of the userequipment 1118. In addition, one or more steps of process 800 may beincorporated into or combined with one or more steps of any otherprocess or embodiment (e.g., process 400 of FIG. 4, process 500 of FIG.5, process 600 of FIG. 6, process 700 of FIG. 7, process 900 of FIG. 9,process 1000 of FIG. 10).

At 802, an audio question is received from a first user of a pluralityof users connected to a conference. At 806, the received audio questionis recorded and analyzed to identify a keyword in the question. Forinstance, the received audio question is analyzed to determine aspecific topic mentioned in the question (e.g., mention of salesnumbers). At 808, the system cross-references the identified keywordwith a plurality of keywords associated with a respective background ofeach of the plurality of users to find a match.

At 810, the system determines whether there is a match between a seconduser's background and the identified keyword from the recorded question.If it is determined that there is no match between the second user'sbackground and the identified keyword from the recorded question (NO at810), the system proceeds to 812 and transmission of the audio questionto the second user is prevented. If, on the other hand, it is determinedthat there is a match between the second user's background and theidentified keyword from the recorded question (YES at 810), the systemproceeds to 814. At 814, the audio question is transmitted to the seconduser.

For example, when Participant 1 asks a question about the number ofwidgets available for sale, the system identifies participants who havea relevant background related to sale of widgets (e.g., employees on thesales team) as well as participants who do not have relevant backgroundrelated to sale of widgets (e.g., employees in Human Resources).

FIG. 9 depicts a flowchart of a process 900 of illustrative stepsinvolved in determining whether an asked question is relevant to a user,in accordance with some embodiments disclosed herein. It should be notedthat process 900 or any step thereof could be performed on, or providedby, any of the devices shown in FIG. 11 and can incorporate various userinterfaces (e.g., display screens of FIGS. 1-3). For example, process900 may be executed by control circuitry 1128 (FIG. 11) of the userequipment 1118. In addition, one or more steps of process 900 may beincorporated into or combined with one or more steps of any otherprocess or embodiment (e.g., process 400 of FIG. 4, process 500 of FIG.5, process 600 of FIG. 6, process 700 of FIG. 7, process 800 of FIG. 8,process 1000 of FIG. 10).

At 902, an audio question is received from a first user of a pluralityof users connected to a conference. At 904, the received audio questionis recorded and analyzed to identify a name of one of more users in thequestion. For instance, the received audio question is analyzed todetermine a specific name mentioned in the question (e.g., mention ofthe name “Jim Halpert”).

At 906, the system determines whether there is a match between thesecond user's name and the identified name from the recorded question.If it is determined that there is no match between the second user'sname and the identified name from the recorded question (NO at 906), thesystem proceeds to 910 and transmission of the audio question to thesecond user is prevented. If, on the other hand, it is determined thatthere is a match between the second user's name and the identified namefrom the recorded question (YES at 906), the system proceeds to 908. At908, the audio question is transmitted to the second user. In this way,the question is transmitted only to the users to whom the question isdirected to without interrupting other users connected to theconference.

FIG. 10 depicts a flowchart of a process 1000 of illustrative stepsinvolved in determining whether an asked question was previouslyanswered during a prior portion of the conference, in accordance withsome embodiments disclosed herein. It should be noted that process 1000or any step thereof could be performed on, or provided by, any of thedevices shown in FIG. 11 and can incorporate various user interfaces(e.g., display screens of FIGS. 1-3). For example, process 1000 may beexecuted by control circuitry 1128 (FIG. 11) of the user equipment 1118.In addition, one or more steps of process 1000 may be incorporated intoor combined with one or more steps of any other process or embodiment(e.g., process 400 of FIG. 4, process 500 of FIG. 5, process 600 of FIG.6, process 700 of FIG. 7, process 800 of FIG. 8, process 900 of FIG. 9).

At 1002, an audio question is received from a first user of a pluralityof users connected to a conference. At 1006, the received audio questionis recorded and analyzed to identify a keyword in the question. Forinstance, the received audio question is analyzed to determine aspecific topic mentioned in the question (e.g., mention of salesnumbers). At 1008, the system analyzes the prior portion of theconference to identify a relevant section where the identified keywordwas uttered.

At 1010, the system determines whether the identified keyword from therecorded question was uttered previously during the conference. Forexample, when the question asked refers to sale numbers of widgets, thesystem determines whether the sale numbers were discussed during a priorportion of the conference. If it is determined that the identifiedkeyword from the recorded question was not uttered previously during theconference (NO at 1010), the system proceeds to 1012 and the audioquestion is transmitted to the plurality of users connected to theconference. If, on the other hand, it is determined that the identifiedkeyword from the recorded question was uttered previously during theconference (YES at 1010), the system proceeds to 1014 and a recording ofthe relevant portion of the conference when the identified keyword isuttered is transmitted to the first user. For example, if the sale ofwidgets were discussed during the first ten minutes of the conference, arecording of the first ten minutes of the conference are transmitted tothe first user. However, the question is prevented from beingtransmitted to the other participants connected to the conference,thereby preventing unnecessary interruptions to the conference.

FIG. 11 is an illustrative block diagram showing an audio/videoconferencing system incorporating question management features, inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. In FIG. 11, anaudio/video conferencing system is configured as an audio/videoconferencing system 1100, in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure. In an embodiment, one or more parts of or the entirety ofsystem 1100 may be configured as a system implementing various features,processes, and components of FIGS. 1-10. Although FIG. 11 shows acertain number of components, in various examples, system 1100 mayinclude fewer than the illustrated number of components and/or multiplesof one or more of the illustrated number of components.

System 1100 is shown to include a computing device 1118, a server 1102and a communication network 1114. It is understood that while a singleinstance of a component may be shown and described relative to FIG. 11,additional instances of the component may be employed. For example,server 1102 may include, or may be incorporated in, more than oneserver. Similarly, communication network 1114 may include, or may beincorporated in, more than one communication network. Server 1102 isshown communicatively coupled to computing device 1118 throughcommunication network 1114. While not shown in FIG. 11, server 1102 maybe directly communicatively coupled to computing device 1118, forexample, in a system absent or bypassing communication network 1114.

Communication network 1114 may comprise one or more network systems,such as, without limitation, an Internet, LAN, WIFI or other networksystems suitable for audio processing applications. In some embodiments,system 1100 excludes server 1102, and functionality that would otherwisebe implemented by server 1102 is instead implemented by other componentsof system 1100, such as one or more components of communication network1114. In still other embodiments, server 1102 works in conjunction withone or more components of communication network 1114 to implementcertain functionality described herein in a distributed or cooperativemanner. Similarly, in some embodiments, system 1100 excludes computingdevice 1118, and functionality that would otherwise be implemented bycomputing device 1118 is instead implemented by other components ofsystem 1100, such as one or more components of communication network1114 or server 1102 or a combination. In still other embodiments,computing device 1118 works in conjunction with one or more componentsof communication network 1114 or server 1102 to implement certainfunctionality described herein in a distributed or cooperative manner.

Computing device 1118 includes control circuitry 1128, display 1134 andinput circuitry 1116. Control circuitry 1128 in turn includestransceiver circuitry 1162, storage 1138 and processing circuitry 1140.In some embodiments, computing device 1118 or control circuitry 1128 maybe configured as media devices 102, 202, or 302 of FIGS. 1, 2, and 3,respectively.

Server 1102 includes control circuitry 1120 and storage 1124. Each ofstorages 1124 and 1138 may be an electronic storage device. As referredto herein, the phrase “electronic storage device” or “storage device”should be understood to mean any device for storing electronic data,computer software, or firmware, such as random-access memory, read-onlymemory, hard drives, optical drives, digital video disc (DVD) recorders,compact disc (CD) recorders, BLU-RAY disc (BD) recorders, BLU-RAY 3Ddisc recorders, digital video recorders (DVRs, sometimes called personalvideo recorders, or PVRs), solid state devices, quantum storage devices,gaming consoles, gaming media, or any other suitable fixed or removablestorage devices, and/or any combination of the same. Each storage 1124,1138 may be used to store various types of content, metadata, and orother types of data (e.g., they can be used to record audio questionsasked by one or more participants connected to the conference.Non-volatile memory may also be used (e.g., to launch a boot-up routineand other instructions). Cloud-based storage may be used to supplementstorages 1124, 1138 or instead of storages 1124, 1138. In someembodiments, the audio portion of the conference may be recorded andstored in one or more of storages 1112, 1138.

In some embodiments, control circuitry 1120 and/or 1128 executesinstructions for an application stored in memory (e.g., storage 1124and/or storage 1138). Specifically, control circuitry 1120 and/or 1128may be instructed by the application to perform the functions discussedherein. In some implementations, any action performed by controlcircuitry 1120 and/or 1128 may be based on instructions received fromthe application. For example, the application may be implemented assoftware or a set of executable instructions that may be stored instorage 1124 and/or 1138 and executed by control circuitry 1120 and/or1128. In some embodiments, the application may be a client/serverapplication where only a client application resides on computing device1118, and a server application resides on server 1102.

The application may be implemented using any suitable architecture. Forexample, it may be a stand-alone application wholly implemented oncomputing device 1118. In such an approach, instructions for theapplication are stored locally (e.g., in storage 1138), and data for useby the application is downloaded on a periodic basis (e.g., from anout-of-band feed, from an Internet resource, or using another suitableapproach). Control circuitry 1128 may retrieve instructions for theapplication from storage 1138 and process the instructions to performthe functionality described herein. Based on the processed instructions,control circuitry 1128 may determine a type of action to perform inresponse to input received from input circuitry 1116 or fromcommunication network 1114. For example, in response to a user selectionof “Smart Presentation” mode, control circuitry 1128 may perform thesteps of process 400 (FIG. 4), process 500 (FIG. 5), process 600 (FIG.6), process 700 (FIG. 7), process 800 (FIG. 8), process 900 (FIG. 9),process 1000 (FIG. 10), or processes relative to various embodiments,such as the example of FIGS. 1, 2, and 3.

In client/server-based embodiments, control circuitry 1128 may includecommunication circuitry suitable for communicating with an applicationserver (e.g., server 1102) or other networks or servers. Theinstructions for carrying out the functionality described herein may bestored on the application server. Communication circuitry may include acable modem, an Ethernet card, or a wireless modem for communicationwith other equipment, or any other suitable communication circuitry.Such communication may involve the Internet or any other suitablecommunication networks or paths (e.g., communication network 1114). Inanother example of a client/server-based application, control circuitry1128 runs a web browser that interprets web pages provided by a remoteserver (e.g., server 1102). For example, the remote server may store theinstructions for the application in a storage device. The remote servermay process the stored instructions using circuitry (e.g., controlcircuitry 1128) and/or generate displays. Computing device 1118 mayreceive the displays generated by the remote server and may display thecontent of the displays locally via display 1134. This way, theprocessing of the instructions is performed remotely (e.g., by server1102) while the resulting displays, such as the display windowsdescribed elsewhere herein, are provided locally on computing device1118. Computing device 1118 may receive inputs from the user via inputcircuitry 1116 and transmit those inputs to the remote server forprocessing and generating the corresponding displays. Alternatively,computing device 1118 may receive inputs from the user via inputcircuitry 1116 and process and display the received inputs locally, bycontrol circuitry 1128 and display 1134, respectively.

Server 1102 and computing device 1118 may transmit and receive contentand data such as media content via communication network 1114. Forexample, server 1102 may be a media content provider, and computingdevice 1118 may be a smart television configured to download or streammedia content, such as a Harry Potter episode, from server 1102. Controlcircuitry 1120, 1128 may send and receive commands, requests, and othersuitable data through communication network 1114 using transceivercircuitry 1160, 1162, respectively. Control circuitry 1120, 1128 maycommunicate directly with each other using transceiver circuits 1160,1162, respectively, avoiding communication network 1114.

It is understood that computing device 1118 is not limited to theembodiments and methods shown and described herein. In nonlimitingexamples, computing device 1118 may be a television, a Smart TV, aset-top box, an integrated receiver decoder (IRD) for handling satellitetelevision, a digital storage device, a digital media receiver (DMR), adigital media adapter (DMA), a streaming media device, a DVD player, aDVD recorder, a connected DVD, a local media server, a BLU-RAY player, aBLU-RAY recorder, a personal computer (PC), a laptop computer, a tabletcomputer, a WebTV box, a personal computer television (PC/TV), a PCmedia server, a PC media center, a handheld computer, a stationarytelephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile telephone, aportable video player, a portable music player, a portable gamingmachine, a smartphone, or any other device, computing equipment, orwireless device, and/or combination of the same capable of suitablydisplaying and manipulating media content.

Control circuitry 1120 and/or 1118 may be based on any suitableprocessing circuitry such as processing circuitry 1126 and/or 1140,respectively. As referred to herein, processing circuitry should beunderstood to mean circuitry based on one or more microprocessors,microcontrollers, digital signal processors, programmable logic devices,field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), etc., and may include a multi-core processor (e.g.,dual-core, quad-core, hexa-core, or any suitable number of cores). Insome embodiments, processing circuitry may be distributed acrossmultiple separate processors, for example, multiple of the same type ofprocessors (e.g., two Intel Core i9 processors) or multiple differentprocessors (e.g., an Intel Core i7 processor and an Intel Core i9processor). In some embodiments, control circuitry 1120 and/or controlcircuitry 1118 are configured to implement a media content operationsystem, such as systems, or parts thereof, that perform various mediacontent manipulation processes described and shown in connection withFIGS. 4-8 and/or systems carrying out the features described and shownrelative to FIGS. 1-3.

Computing device 1118 receives a user input 1104 at input circuitry1116. For example, computing device 1118 may receive a user input like auser swipe or user touch, as previously discussed. In some embodiments,computing device 1118 is a media device (or player) configured as mediadevices 102, 202, or 302, with the capability to access media content.It is understood that computing device 1118 is not limited to theembodiments and methods shown and described herein. In nonlimitingexamples, computing device 1118 may be a television, a Smart TV, aset-top box, an integrated receiver decoder (IRD) for handling satellitetelevision, a digital storage device, a digital media receiver (DMR), adigital media adapter (DMA), a streaming media device, a DVD player, aDVD recorder, a connected DVD, a local media server, a BLU-RAY player, aBLU-RAY recorder, a personal computer (PC), a laptop computer, a tabletcomputer, a WebTV box, a personal computer television (PC/TV), a PCmedia server, a PC media center, a handheld computer, a stationarytelephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile telephone, aportable video player, a portable music player, a portable gamingmachine, a smartphone, or any other television equipment, computingequipment, or wireless device, and/or combination of the same.

User input 1104 may be received from a user selection-capturinginterface that is separate from device 1118, such as a remote-controldevice, trackpad or any other suitable user movement sensitive orcapture devices, or as part of device 1118, such as a touchscreen ofdisplay 1134. Transmission of user input 1104 to computing device 1118may be accomplished using a wired connection, such as an audio cable,USB cable, ethernet cable or the like attached to a corresponding inputport at a local device, or may be accomplished using a wirelessconnection, such as Bluetooth, WIFI, WiMAX, GSM, UTMS, CDMA, TDMA, 3G,4G, 4G LTE, or any other suitable wireless transmission protocol. Inputcircuitry 1116 may comprise a physical input port such as a 3.5 mm audiojack, RCA audio jack, USB port, ethernet port, or any other suitableconnection for receiving audio over a wired connection, or may comprisea wireless receiver configured to receive data via Bluetooth, WIFI,WiMAX, GSM, UTMS, CDMA, TDMA, 3G, 4G, 4G LTE, or other wirelesstransmission protocols.

Processing circuitry 1140 may receive input 1104 from input circuit1116. Processing circuitry 1140 may convert or translate the receiveduser input 1104 that may be in the form of gestures or movement todigital signals. In some embodiments, input circuit 1116 performs thetranslation to digital signals. In some embodiments, processingcircuitry 1140 (or processing circuitry 1126, as the case may be)carries out disclosed processes and methods. For example, processingcircuitry 1140 or processing circuitry 1126 may perform processes 400,500, 600, 700, 800, 900, and 1000 of FIGS. 4-10, respectively.

The systems and processes discussed above are intended to beillustrative and not limiting. One skilled in the art would appreciatethat the actions of the processes discussed herein may be omitted,modified, combined, and/or rearranged, and any additional actions may beperformed without departing from the scope of the invention. Moregenerally, the above disclosure is meant to be exemplary and notlimiting. Only the claims that follow are meant to set bounds as to whatthe present disclosure includes. Furthermore, it should be noted thatthe features and limitations described in any one embodiment may beapplied to any other embodiment herein, and flowcharts or examplesrelating to one embodiment may be combined with any other embodiment ina suitable manner, done in different orders, or done in parallel. Inaddition, the systems and methods described herein may be performed inreal time. It should also be noted that the systems and/or methodsdescribed above may be applied to, or used in accordance with, othersystems and/or methods.

1. A method comprising: receiving an audio question from a first user ofa plurality of users connected to a conference; recording the audioquestion and preventing an immediate transmission of the audio questionto the plurality of users connected to the conference; analyzing anaudio portion of the conference to identify a time for transmitting theaudio question to the plurality of users connected to the conference;and transmitting the audio question to the plurality of users at theidentified time.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio question isrecorded in response to determining that the conference is in a smartpresentation mode.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying thetime for transmitting the audio question comprises: determining anexpiration time of the smart presentation mode; and transmitting theaudio question to the plurality of users at the expiration time of thesmart presentation mode.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein identifyingthe time for transmitting the audio question comprises: determining thatthe smart presentation mode is paused; and transmitting the audioquestion to the plurality of users at the time corresponding to thepausing of the smart presentation mode.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein identifying a time for transmitting the audio questioncomprises: monitoring the audio portion of the conference to identify anutterance of a keyword by a presenter of the conference; andtransmitting the audio question to the plurality of users in response todetermining that the presenter has uttered the keyword.
 6. The method ofclaim 5, wherein the keyword is indicative of a willingness to acceptaudio questions from the plurality of users.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein transmitting the audio question to the plurality of users at theidentified time comprises: transmitting the recording of the audioquestion to the plurality of users.
 8. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: prior to transmitting the audio question to the plurality ofusers at the identified time, providing an option to the first user torephrase the audio question.
 9. The method of claim 1, whereinidentifying a time for transmitting the audio question comprises:determining a number of additional questions that have been asked by theplurality of users connected to the conference before the recorded audioquestion from the first user has been answered; determining whether thenumber of questions that have been asked by the plurality of usersconnected to the conference before the recorded audio question from thefirst user has been answered exceeds a predetermined threshold; and inresponse to determining that the number of questions that have beenasked by the plurality of users connected to the conference before therecorded audio question from the first user has been answered exceeds apredetermined threshold, transmitting the recorded audio question askedby the first user.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the predeterminedthreshold is three questions.
 11. A system comprising: an input circuitconfigured to receive an audio question from a first user of a pluralityof users connected to a conference; and control circuitry configured to:record the audio question and prevent an immediate transmission of theaudio question to the plurality of users connected to the conference;analyze an audio portion of the conference to identify a time fortransmitting the audio question to the plurality of users connected tothe conference; and transmit the audio question to the plurality ofusers at the identified time.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein thecontrol circuitry is configured to record the audio question in responseto determining that the conference is in a smart presentation mode. 13.The system of claim 12, wherein the control circuitry, when identifyingthe time for transmitting the audio question, is configured to:determine an expiration time of the smart presentation mode; andtransmit the audio question to the plurality of users at the expirationtime of the smart presentation mode.
 14. The system of claim 12, whereinthe control circuitry, when identifying the time for transmitting theaudio question, is configured to: determine that the smart presentationmode is paused; and transmit the audio question to the plurality ofusers at the time corresponding to the pausing of the smart presentationmode.
 15. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry, whenidentifying a time for transmitting the audio question, is configuredto: monitor the audio portion of the conference to identify an utteranceof a keyword by a presenter of the conference; and transmit the audioquestion to the plurality of users in response to determining that thepresenter has uttered the keyword.
 16. The system of claim 15, whereinthe keyword is indicative of a willingness to accept audio questionsfrom the plurality of users.
 17. The system of claim 11, wherein thecontrol circuitry, when transmitting the audio question to the pluralityof users at the identified time, is further configured to: transmit therecording of the audio question to the plurality of users.
 18. Thesystem of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configuredto: prior to transmitting the audio question to the plurality of usersat the identified time, provide an option to the first user to rephrasethe audio question.
 19. The system of claim 11, wherein the controlcircuitry, when identifying a time for transmitting the audio question,is further configured to: determine a number of additional questionsthat have been asked by the plurality of users connected to theconference before the recorded audio question from the first user hasbeen answered; determine whether the number of questions that have beenasked by the plurality of users connected to the conference before therecorded audio question from the first user has been answered exceeds apredetermined threshold; and in response to determining that the numberof questions that have been asked by the plurality of users connected tothe conference before the recorded audio question from the first userhas been answered exceeds a predetermined threshold, transmit therecorded audio question asked by the first user.
 20. The system of claim19, wherein the predetermined threshold is three questions. 21-50.(canceled)